gearshift

[geer-shift]

noun

1. shift lever.

2. a device for selecting, engaging, and disengaging gears for a system for the transmission of power, especially in a motor vehicle.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gearshift¹

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; gear + shift

Example Sentences

The effect of the molecular gearshift could be fine-tuned by adjusting the size and structure of the stationary molecule attached to the gear molecule.

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The government hopes the prospect of cheaper running costs will create a gearshift in the minds of other drivers of the ubiquitous boda-bodas, most of whom still use petrol or diesel.

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It was clear the Dutchman would face no threat unless he ran into trouble and the Red Bull ran faultlessly, apart from some complaints from its driver about slow gearshifts.

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The car screeched to a stop on the side of the road, and I flipped the gearshift into park.

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That’s when “The Staircase” suggests a dramatic gearshift to something else entirely: the rare fictionalization that underscores the many narrative decisions that went into piecing together its ostensibly more straightforward, fly-on-the-wall precursor.

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